An interesting matrix from The Elements of Internet Style by EEI Press lines out the differences in the way people think based on age. The validity of the matrix as a whole is arguable, but it contains some thought provoking observations about “Millennials,” people born between 1981 and 2002.

Since Millennials make up the bulk of the new hires in today’s workplace, it would be beneficial to have a better idea of how they think and work. The matrix indicates that Millennials are multitaskers who believe in the maxim, “Two heads are better than one.” They are open to diverse viewpoints and view collaboration as the key to success.

There is an interesting correlation between the Millennials’ multitasking skill set and their collaborative approach to problem solving and the emerging field of integrated operations (IO). IO, the use of real-time communications to link remotely located people, has created a collaborative work environment that is different from anything the industry has seen. It draws on experts in real time who can make the quick decisions needed to expedite exploration activity, increase recovery, and maximize production. (See the Digital Oil Field feature on this subject.)

Millennials and IO

Observations made by a number of speakers at the Intelligent Energy Conference, held in Amsterdam at the end of February, indicate IO is a rapidly growing niche that seems to be custom made for the Millennial mindset.

Malcolm Brinded, executive director of E&P at Royal Dutch Shell, said he believes Millennials (not his word, of course) are ideal for IO projects, having grown up with some of the skills vital to this new work environment. Brinded explained the difference between the “old approach” to collaboration (relying on email, faxes, and shared drives) and the new approach using IO, which allows much faster decision making based on real-time data sharing.

Applying IO technology allows constant asset monitoring, Brinded explained, which enables companies to continually optimize production, increase recoverability, and improve the impact of oil and gas operations on the environment.

IO and production

Hany Abu Khadra, general manager in charge of upstream IT for Saudi Aramco, presented several examples at the conference that show how his company is using IO to increase production.

The potential for the technology is tremendous, Abu Khadra said, pointing to a recent field restart as one of many examples of how Saudi Aramco has put IO to use. Noticing that production numbers were low when the field came back online, the operator used data gathered from sensors in the wells to identify several non-producing assets and to bring them back on production.

IO allows the assimilation of the “right technologies” to address problems in the field, Abu Khadra said. The approach challenges existing norms and requires adaptation of new business processes and practices, but it delivers the efficient transformation of data to knowledge, which allows greater efficiencies, not the least of which is optimized production, he said.

According to Howard Mayson, senior vice president for subsurface and wells technology for BP, the company is planning to use its brand of IO, called “fieldofthefuture,” to add 100 million boe/d production and 1 billion boe in recovery by 2017. Today, Mayson said, BP produces 1.5 million boe/d enabled by fieldofthefuture technology in 700 wells on more than 40 assets.

New deepwater fields, Mayson said, will be fieldofthefuture developments by default, which means they will have sensors that report real-time data for complete field integration. IO will enable more efficient rampup, he said, and will provide downhole data that will allow greater production.

Older fields will be retrofitted to benefit from IO too, Mayson said, pointing to a North Sea facility suffering from dropping production where fieldofthefuture technology allowed BP to mitigate decline and improve production efficiency.

The next target for the technology, Mayson said, will be fields that have lower production rates, including those that are onshore. These will require a somewhat different approach. Despite the challenges, Mayson believes BP will be successful in implementing its solutions. “We’ve really got it cracked offshore,” he said. Successful onshore applications are only a matter of time.